Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour to arrive in Coventry

There’s less than a month to go until Rugby’s greatest prize, the Webb Ellis Cup, will visit Coventry as part of the Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour.

The Trophy will arrive at Broadgate on Sunday, August 16 at 1pm where the city’s Rugby community will join together for a small celebration event.

A festival of Rugby will then be held at the War Memorial Park between midday and 4pm where mini, junior, women and senior teams from across Coventry and Warwickshire will be showcasing a variety of Rugby skills.

Members of the public will also be given the opportunity to ‘try’ out their Rugby techniques during masterclasses held by Wasps, Coventry Rugby Club and other local clubs.

Participants will be hoping to make it into the record books as they attempt to break Rugby records including most passes in a minute, most drop goals in a minute and most conversions in an hour.

The Webb Ellis Cup will be on display at the park from 2.30pm until 5pm allowing people to take pictures with the Trophy.

John Alford, president of Warwickshire RFU, said:

The Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour will be one of the highlights of the summer in Coventry as the whole city gears up for the start of the Tournament in September.

Rugby is at the heart of the Trophy Tour which is why we have arranged for the city’s Rugby community to come together and mark the occasion by hosting a festival of Rugby.

We will have a lot going on throughout the day including various showcases, masterclasses and, of course, Rugby-related record attempts. There really is something for everyone to enjoy.

The festival is also a great opportunity for us to ‘try’ to ‘convert’ some of the non-players into fans, giving them the opportunity to create their own Rugby World Cup memories by taking part in fun-filled activities.

People are still most excited about seeing the main spectacle, the Webb Ellis Cup – Rugby’s greatest prize, and we can’t wait for it to arrive in Coventry.

The Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour has travelled through Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Wales and continues its journey through England before arriving at Twickenham Stadium on Friday September 18 ahead of the Opening Ceremony.

Tom Clift, programme manager of Engage!, added:

There is a real buzz in the city as people look forward to welcoming the Webb Ellis Cup.

It is great to be part of such a major Rugby event and we can’t wait to watch everyone get involved in all the activities that are planned in the city.

The festival of Rugby will bring local clubs, sports providers, children and the public together to take part and enjoy Rugby activities. We hope that this will really inspire people to continue playing the Game so that we can build on the long-lasting Rugby heritage we have already created in the city.